The Hankey Group

In 1958, the Hankey Family owned 25% of Midway Ford; Don Hankey acquired full ownership of the Ford franchise dealership in 1972. Midway Ford is the originating company of the Hankey Group. Midway Car Rental and Westlake Financial Services began as complimentary business extensions of Midway Ford, providing rental car service and financing to Midway Ford customers who couldn’t get financing elsewhere. Each Hankey Group company holds a symbiotic relationship to the other. HFC Acceptance, a fleet finance and leasing company, focused on commercial financing to rental agencies that purchased vehicles from Midway Ford. Nowcom’s DealerCenter provides a multi-lender and DMS platform for used car dealerships, featuring Westlake Financial Services as a preferred lender. Additionally, Nowcom provides IT support for all Hankey Group companies. Hankey Investment Company is a private real estate investment firm that procures real estate for Hankey Group and manages around $1.9B in assets, comprised of real properties ($1B) and commercial loans ($800M+). Since 1985, Knight Insurance Company, a Cayman Islands company, together with its domestic affiliates KnightBrook Insurance Company and Knight Specialty Insurance Company, have partnered with North Hollywood Toyota, Westlake Financial and Midway Auto Group to provide consumers with various auto-related insurance products and services.

Incorporated: 1972

Headquarters: Los Angeles

Employees: 2,828+

Mission

Focus and execution are the keys to our success. We strive to grow revenue every year by 20% and get a 30% return on equity. Our focus on profitability provides opportunities for growth both personally and professionally within the organization. Investment in our people has always been the underlying key to our success. Lastly, growing our business, focusing on technology, increasing efficiencies, empowering people, and having fun while we are working are what make us who we are today.

Core Values

People

Our people are our most important asset. We respect each other’s unique contributions to the team, we promote integrity in all our actions, and we encourage our associates to seize every opportunity for personal excellence and success.

Purpose

Our purpose is to provide world-class service to our customers, dealers, and partners, while promoting dynamic growth founded on solid financial stability.

Passion

We have a passion to be the best at what we do and we thrive on innovation and the challenges of change.

Executive Team

Don Hankey

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mr. Hankey completed his BA and post-graduate work at the University of Southern California in 1965. Possessing a keen understanding of finance, by age 27 Mr. Hankey became Vice President of a major investment banking firm, which would later become part of USB Paine Weber.

With a family history in the automobile business, Mr. Hankey acquired Midway Ford in 1972 and the dealership’s business flourished. During the 1980s, the organization acquired additional dealerships to its growing portfolio and established a firm foothold in the financial services industry. Today, financial services comprise a major part of the organization’s success.

Mr. Hankey believes that focus and execution are the keys to success. “We strive to grow revenue every year by at least 20%,” he explains, “and keep our profit as a percentage of revenue above industry averages.”

With the advent of the Internet, Mr. Hankey has swiftly incorporated technology into every aspect of the Hankey Group of companies.

Bret Hankey

Bret Hankey serves as the President of the Hankey Group and is a member of the board of directors on all the major companies that comprise the Hankey Group. Bret’s main focus is to continue to grow the companies by 20% year over year and maintain a 30% ROE. Bret Hankey is the Vice Chairman and Executive VP of Westlake Financial Services and is responsible for overseeing the originations of subprime, near-prime and prime automotive retail installment contracts.

Mr. Hankey graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2000 with a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance with an emphasis in Real Estate. He later went on to complete the General Dealership Management program from the National Automobile Dealers Association in 2005 in McLean, VA. Upon his graduation from USC, he joined the Hankey Group and began his career in the automotive industry.

Bret Hankey has more than 14 years of experience working in car dealerships and in the auto finance industry. During his tenure in the car business, he held roles in various positions including Salesperson, Used Car Manager, General Sales Manager and General Manager. From 2007 to Present, Bret Hankey has held multiple positions throughout Westlake Financial including Credit Analyst, Originations Manager, VP Originations, VP of Westlake Financial, Vice Chairman & EVP. He currently serves as the President of the Hankey Group

Bret Hankey’s purpose for joining the Hankey Group is to continue the growth of the companies and to maintain profit margins. He believes this will be accomplished by a continued focus on the culture, people, technology, efficiencies and operating costs.

Amit Shah

Amit Shah is the Chief Operating Officer for the Hankey group and serves on the Board of Directors on all the major companies of the Hankey Group. Mr. Shah’s primary responsibility is to grow the group’s net income by adopting best practices and taking a leadership role in building, implementing and overseeing all the systems, processes, workflows and procedures across each of the companies. Mr. Shah plays a critical role in helping to shape and guide the future growth and development of the group.

Mr. Shah also helps run the HG 401k fund for the whole group.

Prior to working at the Hankey Group, Mr. Shah worked for Westlake Financial Services, a technology based finance company in the role of Senior Vice President of Servicing overseeing the Customer Service, Collections, Remarketing, Recovery, Bankruptcy and Consumer Litigation Departments. Mr. Shah offers a successful track record in driving process improvements, creating efficiencies and motivating teams to create dynamic products that meet market demand and revenue targets. He demonstrates strong leadership and communication abilities combined with a personal commitment to inclusiveness and team empowerment.

Mr. Shah earned an Executive M.B.A. degree from the University of Southern California, a M.S. degree in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University and a B.E. degree in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University.

Ian Anderson

Ian Anderson joined Westlake Financial Services in July 2005 as Director of Risk Management. He was promoted to Sr. Vice President of Production, Business Strategy and Analytics in early 2007. As President, Ian’s primary focus is on growth and maintenance of an effective overall business strategy and execution. In addition, Ian’s vision is set squarely on expansion of Westlake’s strategic alliances with other leaders in the automotive industry.

Mr. Anderson received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine in 1997. He is also a Ford Motor Company certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Jay Kamdar

Jay Kamdar began his career in the field of ship repairing, building and structural engineering in India, before moving to California to pursue his career in the IT sector.

Jay received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from California State University Long Beach and joined Nowcom Corporation as a software engineer. He has worked his way through the ranks and is currently the President of Nowcom Corporation.

Jay’s vast experience in designing and managing enterprise applications and formulating strategic initiatives to leverage Nowcom’s core competency have proven to be of great value to the Hankey Group of companies and our customers. Jay received his Executive MBA degree from the University of Southern California

Paul Kerwin

As Westlake’s Chief Financial Officer, Paul Kerwin’s primary responsibility is oversight of all aspects of the company’s finance, accounting, treasury management and analysis.

Prior to joining Westlake, Paul was a Senior Accountant at KPMG, LLP from 1999-2002. During his three years at KPMG, Paul specialized in the Financial Services and Consumer Markets practices where his experience included sub-prime lending, due diligence and various consulting projects.

Paul joined Westlake as Controller in 2002 and was responsible for financial planning and reporting. He was named Chief Financial Officer in 2004. According to Paul, “the Hankey organization’s unique philosophy has resulted in consistent and steady growth for over 20 years,” adding that “Westlake’s employees and management are focused and determined on expanding and continuing this impressive success.”

Paul graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Accounting from the University of San Diego. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Rufus Hankey

Rufus Hankey is Chairman of Nowcom Corporation and serves on the Board of Directors of each of the Hankey Group of companies.

Rufus Hankey graduated from University of Southern California in 1995 and joined the Hankey Group in the sales department at Midway Ford. Throughout his 5-year tenure at Midway Ford, Rufus worked his way up to General Sales Manager and was instrumental in allowing Midway Ford to achieve record profit margins. This experience and the knowledge he gained in the retail automobile industry have greatly impacted Rufus’ outlook and the manner in which Rufus approaches his duties to this day.

Nowcom Corporation had been founded in 1996 for the purposes of becoming an ISP. Rufus joined Nowcom in 2000 and was appointed President later that year. Upon his arrival at Nowcom, Rufus effectively reinvented the company by stripping down the staff and rebuilding it with a new focus on the automobile industry.

Today Nowcom has over 10,000 automobile dealers subscribing to Nowcom’s services. The company continues to gain market share while increasing the product offering to its dealer base.

Rufus Hankey was born, raised and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA

W. Scott Dobbins

Scott earned his MBA with honors from the University of Southern California in 1994, with a major in Real Estate Finance. Following that, he formed the Highlands Group, and consulted for such firms as Colony Capital and the Koll Company.

Prior to moving to California, Scott spent 5 years working in New York for Merrill Lynch and Salomon Brothers, analyzing company-wide risk and credit for the firms’ derivative products groups and structuring and hedging financial transactions. Scott’s relationship with Hankey Group started in 1997, and he joined the organization full time in 1999.

Eugene Leydiker

Eugene advises on a number of subjects including general business transactions, real property transactions, commercial real estate finance, landlord-tenant law, corporate law, employment law and defined contribution plans.

Eugene holds a BA in Political Science and Russian Literature from the University of California at San Diego, and a JD from Pepperdine University School of Law.

Gracia Ang

Gracia joined Hankey Group in 2001 in Business Management, responsible for accounting and financial operation and management, including group cash management. She then started to oversee payroll and benefits functions in 2005. Gracia is Hankey Investment Company’s Chief Financial Officer since 2013, overseeing all accounting, financial, cash management, taxation, payroll, and benefits functions.

Gracia graduated with honors from Texas A & M International University with Master of Professional Accountancy. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Gary Macdonald

John “Gary” Macdonald is President of Midway Auto Group which includes: Midway Car Rental, Midway Group, Midway Fleet Leasing, Midway Auto Resale and Wilshire Limousine Services. Mr. Macdonald joined the organization in 1976 and has been President of the Midway Auto Group since 1986. As shareholder, director and officer, Gary has been instrumental in developing new lines of business and services which meet the needs of an ever-changing automotive market.

Gary was born, raised and currently resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena. He is married and has four children.

Frank Merle

Frank Merle is General Manager for Midway Car Rental, overseeing Midway Auto Group’s car rental division. Frank earned his B.A. degree in 2005 from Miami University of Ohio and moved to Southern California that same year.

Previously with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Frank has been a leader in the automotive rental industry for more than a decade. Starting his career out of college as a customer service representative and working his way up through various supervisory roles, Mr. Merle joined the Midway Car Rental team in March of 2017. He hopes to continue the success of Midway Car Rental by focusing on exemplary service, providing a first-class inventory of vehicles, and an unmatched professional team.

Chris Ashworth

Chris Ashworth was born and raised in Sussex, England where, in 1982, he earned his Automotive Engineering degree.

Within a week of arriving in Los Angeles, Chris began his career at Toyota of North Hollywood as a Sales Associate. Exhibiting obvious talent and a strong work ethic, Chris was promoted quickly through the ranks of Assistant Sales Manager, Finance Manager, Finance Director, New Car Sales Manager and, in 1990, General Sales Manager.

In 1993 Chris was promoted to General Manager and in 1999 became Vice President, General Manager and shareholder of Toyota of North Hollywood.

Over the course of the past 20 years, Chris’ hard work and dedication have helped to transform the dealership into a model for auto dealerships throughout the nation. Today, Toyota of North Hollywood serves the Southern California market as a full-service dealership with Sales, Leasing, Pre-Owned, Parts, Service and a bustling Body Shop departments, employing more than 200 courteous and professional staff.

In 2006, Toyota of North Hollywood placed in the top 5 out of 75 Toyota dealerships in the Los Angeles Region, for outstanding customer service, according to the annual Customer Service Index.

Chris Ashworth lives in Los Angeles with his two daughters.

Jeff Brodsky

Jeff Brodsky is the President HFC Acceptance, LLC. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of La Verne. Jeff joined the organization in 2002 after 5 years with Ford Motor Credit Company Commercial Lending Services. Prior to that, he was employed with Comerica Bank. He holds advanced certifications in both cash flow analysis and corporate financial analysis. He brings 10 years of specialized commercial finance management experience to the organization.

Ken Sopp

Ken Sopp is the Chairman of Credit Union Leasing of America, a company purchased by Westlake Financial in 2017. Prior to the purchase of CULA, Ken has been instrumental in building and developing Midway Fleet Leasing, focusing on studio vehicles, car rental and fleet programs.

Before joining the Hankey Group in 2010, Ken owned a Los Angeles area Ford dealership where he worked in all areas of dealership operations and automotive finance. He holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in Business from Northwestern University and is a board member at the National Vehicle Leasing Association.

Ken’s family has been in the automotive business for four generations.